FanHouse Drayton Florence

It was rumored yesterday that Antonio Cromartie might be on his way out of San Diego, provided that the Chargers could land Drayton Florence, the man Cromartie replaced after Florence left for Jacksonville last year.

But Florence signed with the Bills late Tuesday evening, and A.J. Smith very quickly alerted the media that Cromartie would remain a Charger in 2009.

Antonio Cromartie may have taken a step back last year as the San Diego Chargers' defense struggled without Shawn Merriman to pressure the quarterback and stuff the run. But he's still a freakish athlete and the type of player you would expect the Chargers to hold onto tightly.

Of course, then word on the street (specifically the Bolts Blog) leaks that the team will look to trade Cromartie if/when Drayton Florence, recently released by the Jaguars, signs back in San Diego.

A year ago, the Jaguars were fresh off an 11-win season, an appearance in the AFC Divisional playoffs, and seemingly primed to make a similar run in 2008. With their franchise quarterback in place, the front office targeted wide receiver and cornerback as two positions of need last offseason. That subsequently led to the team signing Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence.

Twelve months and $23 million dollars later, Jacksonville has seen enough: the club released both players today. Florence defended three passes and didn't register an interception in 15 games (eight starts). That performance is Hall of Fame worthy compared to Porter, however.

An MRI this afternoon confirmed that Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has an injured MCL. Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com is reporting that it is an MCL tear, and Schaub will be out for at least four weeks and perhaps will be put on IR. Coach Gary Kubiak didn't get into any detail in his presser but suggests Schaub will be out 2 to 4 weeks.

Backup Sage Rosenchappa Rosenfels will get the start, and he is likely to put up big numbers (and perhaps big interceptions) in Schaub's absence. Kubiak hasn't decided who Rosenfels' backup will be--either practice squader rookie Alex Brink or some guy they work out tomorrow.

The play that got Schaub limping didn't receive a flag, but it looked like it should have. Vikings DE Jared Allen dove directly into Schaub's knee, without being blocked into it. The above video shows a couple of different angles of this.

An MRI this afternoon confirmed that Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has an injured MCL. Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com is reporting that it is an MCL tear, and Schaub will be out for at least four weeks and perhaps will be put on IR. Coach Gary Kubiak didn't get into any detail in his presser but suggests Schaub will be out 2 to 4 weeks.

Backup Sage Rosenchappa Rosenfels will get the start, and he is likely to put up big numbers (and perhaps big interceptions) in Schaub's absence. Kubiak hasn't decided who Rosenfels' backup will be--either practice squader rookie Alex Brink or some guy they work out tomorrow.

The play that got Schaub limping didn't receive a flag, but it looked like it should have. Vikings DE Jared Allen dove directly into Schaub's knee, without being blocked into it. The above video shows a couple of different angles of this.

The fine fellows at Hashmarks conducted a wide-ranging interview with NFL head coaches, covering everything from the league's dirtiest player to its best quarterback to brainiest defender. The survey also asked coaches which "Pro Bowl-caliber player would they not want on their roster?"

Of the 20 head coaches who responded, 14 voted for Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens, who was the runaway winner. Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals was a distant second with three votes.

In case you're wondering, Randy Moss, Drayton Florence and Adam Jones each got one vote. (I had no idea Florence was such a malcontent; my money was on that loud-mouthed troublemaker Philip Rivers*).

So, why is T.O. the runaway winner in what seems like should be a pretty tight race? Since coming to Dallas, Owens has been the model teammate (if we're willing to overlook that whole weird suicide thing, anyway), even going so far as to blubber for his teammate.

In last week's game in San Diego, Chargers cornerback Drayton Florence crushed Texans quarterback Matt Schaub during an interception return.

Today the NFL levied a $15,000 fine against Florence, and he was not suspended. Texans GM, Rick Smith thought that the fine was too small:


Florence claims he doesn't even remember the play, and that he has to look it up on film. Chargers coach, Norv Turner says he doesn't believe it was intentional.

Patriots tackle Vince Wilfolk received a $12,500 fine for hitting Bills quarterback JP Losman's knees. He claimed it was not intentional, but it sure looked a little suspicious. Losman believed that fine was too low.

So, for all the defenders who might be tempted to take out Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for running up the score, apparently Roger Goodell believes that a hit to the knees is worth $12,500 and a helmet to helmet hit on a quarterback during a change of possession is worth $15,000. Just say afterwards that you didn't mean it.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub might sit against the Raiders on Sunday. San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence crushed Schaub during a interception return, causing Schaub to leave the game and eventually go to the hospital.

The Houston Chronicle describes Schaub as having a concussion, but Texans head coach Gary Kubiak won't say the "concussion" word even after being asked repeated specific questions about it:

(on the injury update from yesterday, especially QB Matt Schaub) "Matt (Schaub), all his tests were fine. He was back with the team today. He was in meetings. He's going to be day-to-day, so we'll have to wait and see. He's not feeling great today, so we'll see and we'll take it day-by-day."

(on what grade of a concussion it was) "No, they really didn't tell me that, just that he got dinged pretty good. He's having some headaches. I know he's having some headaches today. Like I said, he's around the football team today, so we'll just take it day-to-day."